Bengal's SIR Tribunals Face 12-Year Backlog With 37 Lakh Pending Appeals

Special tribunals set up in West Bengal to handle appeals related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls are facing a massive caseload of approximately 37 lakh cases. At the current pace of disposing cases, authorities estimate it could take up to 12 years to clear the entire backlog. The tribunals have so far managed to deliver verdicts in around 1.2 lakh cases over a period of five months. The sheer volume of pending appeals raises serious concerns about the timely resolution of voter registration disputes. The situation has drawn attention to the need for additional resources or alternative mechanisms to speed up the adjudication process.